John Hancock Financial Network National Survey of Non-Retired Investors Points to Opportunity for Retirement Income Experts

John Hancock Financial Network National Survey of Non-Retired Investors Points
to Opportunity for Retirement Income Experts
Vast Majority Say Having Retirement Income Strategy by Age 60 is Important
Nearly 70% Will Have a Plan but of Those Only Half Would Use Current Advisor
Nearly Six in Ten Who Use Advisors Want Expert with Retirement Income
Credentials
PR Newswire
BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2012
BOSTON, Nov. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In a recent national survey of
non-retired investors, 90 percent of respondents said they felt it would be
important to have a strategy in place for using their savings and investments
to generate a regular income in retirement by the time they are 60 years old.
Nearly 70 percent (69%) said they had or expected to have such a plan, yet
only half of those respondents said they have used or would use their existing
financial professional to develop it, according to the study conducted by
Mathew Greenwald & Associates for John Hancock Financial Network.
Of the 70 percent with a retirement income plan, or who expect to develop one,
nearly four in ten (38%) said they would create the plan on their own. Twelve
percent (12%) would use a new financial professional, and four percent would
seek a retirement income specialist specifically. Almost six in ten
respondents who use advisors (58%) felt that it is important that their
financial professional have some special retirement income certification in
addition to other required credentials.
"The study shows there is a significant opportunity for financial
professionals to grow their business," said Bruce Harrington, vice president,
Sales and Business Development, John Hancock Financial Network. "With nearly
60 percent of non-retired investors who use advisors saying they felt it would
be important to have special credentials in retirement income planning, we
think advisors who have this additional training have a clear competitive
advantage and should do well."
Harrington explained that it was good to see the national survey support the
feeling that financial professionals with retirement income training and tools
can be a tremendous resource for clients, protecting their nest eggs and
reducing their stress. Last year, JHFN launched a comprehensive program to
help financial professionals walk through retirement income issues with
clients and create a customized strategy.
Retirement Ready (patent pending), available exclusively to firms affiliated
with John Hancock Financial Network (JHFN), is a holistic retirement income
process that presents the opportunity to help clients maximize their
retirement income sustainability and mitigate some of the key risks theymay
face. It provides a methodology to review the effectiveness (or not) of the
clients current strategy and how working with their financial professional may
benefit them by using a product allocation strategy—customized to their
specific needs and designed to help maximize certainty in retirement.
Methodology
This survey of 768 investors was conducted online by independent research firm
Mathew Greenwald & Associates. Respondents were selected from among members of
Research Now's online research panel. To qualify, respondents were required to
participate at least to some extent in their household's financial
decision-making process, have a household income of at least $75,000, and
assets of $100,000
About John Hancock Financial Network
John Hancock Financial Network is a national network of independent firms with
nearly 1,900 financial professionals across the U.S. A leader with the
stability and scale to offer an innovative business model, John Hancock
Financial Network gives entrepreneurial financial professionals the power to
effectively build unique businesses, based on their own vision and market
opportunity. For more information on John Hancock Financial Network and its
national network of independent firms, visit
www.johnhancockfinancialnetwork.com.
About John Hancock Financial and Manulife Financial Corporation
John Hancock Financial is a unit of Manulife Financial Corporation, a leading
Canada-based financial services group with principal operations in Asia,
Canada and the United States. In 2012, John Hancock celebrates 150 years of
serving clients across the United States, while Manulife celebrates its 125^th
anniversary. Operating as Manulife Financial in Canada and in most of Asia,
and primarily as John Hancock in the United States, Manulife Financial
Corporation offers clients a diverse range of financial protection products
and wealth management services through its extensive network of employees,
agents and distribution partners. Funds under management by Manulife Financial
and its subsidiaries were C$514 billion (US$504 billion) as at June 30, 2012.
Manulife Financial Corporation trades as 'MFC' on the TSX, NYSE and PSE, and
under '945' on the SEHK. Manulife Financial can be found on the Internet at
manulife.com.
The John Hancock unit, through its insurance companies, comprises one of the
largest life insurers in the United States. John Hancock offers a broad range
of financial products and services, including life insurance, annuities, fixed
products, mutual funds, 401(k) plans, long-term care insurance, college
savings, and other forms of business insurance. Additional information about
John Hancock may be found at johnhancock.com.
IMPORTANT: The projections or other information generated by Retirement Ready
regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in
nature, do not reflect actual investment results, and are not guarantees of
future results.
SOURCE John Hancock Financial Network
Website: https://www.johnhancockfinancialnetwork.com
Contact: Melissa Berczuk, +1-(617) 663-4750, mberczuk@jhancock.com